Porygon/RBY
Porygon may only be bought at the Celadon Game Corner. It costs 9999 coins in Red and Yellow, and 6500 coins in Blue. Porygon is unique. In a generation where no evolution is available to it, its base stats total at a seemingly alarming low, making it possibly one of the worst Normal-types to have, especially in a region so full of alternatives. While Porygon is definitely not the best Normal-type around, it is definitely the most characteristic one to have, and despite its only average Special Attack, it can actually put Thunderbolt and Ice Beam to good use. Although undoubtedly a TM sink - as it requires early TM usage to function at all, and will generally not do well without the boltbeam duo, a duo of non-reusable and highly contended TMs - Porygon performs better than what its humble stats would suggest. Important Matchups - Yellow = * Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Porygon should not fight Raichu: it outspeeds and deals more damage with Thunderbolt. * Rival (Pokémon Tower): Porygon's Ice Beam scores a 2HKO against Fearow and an OHKO against Sandshrew; Thunderbolt, instead, 1-2HKOs Shellder. Tri Attack scores 3-4HKOs all across the board against Vulpix, Magnemite and Eevee. * Giovanni (Rocket Hideout, Ground-type): Ice Beam OHKOs Onix and can 1-2HKO Rhyhorn. A Porygon with Reflect can also face Persian, whittling down its health slowly with Tri Attack. * Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Porygon's Ice Beam is not sufficient to counter Weepinbell's Razor Leaf, which 3HKOs faster than Porygon can; it can, instead, 3HKO Tangela, providing the latter does not resort to Bind. Gloom is also 3HKOed. * Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): All three Venonat are averagely 3HKOed by Thunderbolt/Ice Beam or 2HKOed by Psychic, if Porygon knows the move. Porygon needs Psychic to prevail over Venomoth, however; Psychic 3HKOs it. * Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Hitmonlee's Double Kick destroys Porygon before it can defeat it, though Porygon can beat Hitmonchan, either by 3HKOing it with Thunderbolt/Ice Beam or 2HKOing with Psychic. * Rival (Silph Co.): Porygon can 2HKO Sandslash with Ice Beam and Kadabra with Tri Attack. Over time, Porygon's Tri Attack can also prevail over Ninetales and Magneton, whose moves are not strong; Thunderbolt also 2HKOs Cloyster, providing Cloyster's Clamp does not get in the way. The same move scores an average 4HKO against Vaporeon, but Porygon cannot prevail against Jolteon's Double Kick, and is unlikely to do so against Flareon's Fire Spin. * Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Porygon can 3HKO Nidorino with Tri Attack, or 2HKO it with Psychic; Rhyhorn is also 2HKOed, by Ice Beam. Persian is 3HKOed by Tri Attack as well. Porygon should not attempt to fight Nidoqueen unless its health is still full, as Ice Beam is a guaranteed 3HKO but Nidoqueen can also 3HKO with Double Kick. * Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Porygon's Tri Attack 2HKOs Abra and 2-3HKOs Kadabra. It may also attempt to fight Alakazam if it has used Agility at least once before Sabrina's ace enters the battlefield, but Tri Attack is still only a 3HKO against the worrisome prospect of Alakazam's Reflect and Recover coming into play, as well as its Psybeam being a 3HKO in turn. * Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): Porygon can beat Rapidash by setting up one Agility and then using Tri Attack, as Rapidash can only be 4HKOed, and it would be nearly impossible for Porygon to get past its Fire Spin if not by outspeeding it. Porygon should not fight against Ninetales or Arcanine, both of which can outspeed and 2-3HKO it. * Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): Ice Beam 2HKOs Dugtrio, but Porygon cannot win against any other Pokémon on Giovanni's team, as they all outspeed and deal more damage despite their weaknesses. * Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): Sandslash is 2HKOed by Ice Beam; the move also 2HKOs Exeggcute. Ninetales and Magneton can be KOed in an average of three to four turns, though Porygon should be switched out (and back in later, if needed) if Magneton hits with Supersonic. Cloyster is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt; Porygon will likely need Agility on the first turn, to avoid getting trapped by Clamp. Fighting Kadabra is risky; Psychic is a 3HKO, and Porygon's Tri Attack may or may not 2HKO it. Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon are all too strong for Porygon. * Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Porygon's Thunderbolt 2-3HKOs Dewgong and 2HKOs Cloyster; although the move is also highly likely to 2HKO Slowbro, its Amnesia can decrease the damage intake quickly and, combined with Lorelei's healing items, it can make Slowbro dangerous for the entire team. Jynx is 2-3HKOed by Tri Attack, but Lapras 3HKOs Porygon and is faster. * Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Both of the Onix are OHKOed by Ice Beam; Hitmonchan is 2-3HKOed by Thunderbolt or Ice Beam, or 1-2HKOed by Psychic. Porygon should avoid Hitmonlee and Machamp, both of which 2HKO with their Fighting STABs. * Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Porygon can overcome the lead Gengar and Porygon with Thunderbolt or Ice Beam over time, so long as it is kept healed from their Hypnosis; leaving Porygon asleep on the battlefield would expose it to the enemy Dream Eater. The ace Gengar, instead, knows Psychic and cannot be beaten by Porygon. Golbat is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt/Ice Beam; the same moves 3-4HKO Arbok. Psychic can 2HKO Arbok, if Porygon knows the move. * Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Porygon 2HKOs Gyarados with Thunderbolt and the two Dragonair with Ice Beam. Aerodactyl is 2HKOed by either move, and cannot 2HKO Porygon. Dragonite is 2HKOed by Ice Beam as well, though it can 2HKO with Hyper Beam; since the move requires two turns to execute, a healthy Porygon will be fine, but one that has already been damaged will not be able to fight it. * Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Sandslash is still 2HKOed by Ice Beam; Porygon must not fight Alakazam, which can 3HKO with Psychic as well as set up Reflect, to ridicule Porygon's Tri Attack damage. Ice Beam scores a 4HKO against Exeggutor, which is not particularly threatening, but may result annoying due to Hypnosis and Leech Seed; Porygon should lead with Agility, to minimise the turns spent asleep or healing. Porygon can still beat Ninetales with a combination of Agility and Tri Attack, if it manages to dodge enough Fire Spins to score the KO; Magneton, on the other hand, has acquired the deadly Thunderbolt, which 3HKOs faster than Porygon can. Cloyster may or may not be 2HKOed with Thunderbolt, though its Ice Beam is always a 3HKO, so Porygon may win against it, either by luck or by having an Agility set up beforehand. The rival's Eeveelution still represents an obstacle Porygon is unable to surmount. * Post-Game: Do not fight any further with Porygon; Mewtwo would destroy it. }} Moves Porygon's initial moveset consists of Tackle, Sharpen and Conversion in Pokémon Blue; in Pokémon Red and Yellow, where it is received at a higher level, it also knows Psybeam, which it learns at level 23. Psybeam is not bad, particularly against Erika, but its base power peters off quickly in the face of later game threats. It then learns Recover at level 28, which would be a good option in theory, but is poorly supported by Porygon's lacking bulk in practice; it can work better paired with Reflect, but using two slots for defensive options on a Pokémon like Porygon is not a good idea. Agility, at level 35, is significantly more useful: Porygon is chronically incapable of outspeeding anything other than Slowbro, and will appreciate the stat increase to at least hit first, if capable of surviving for long enough to use Agility once or twice. Lastly, it learns Tri Attack at level 42; not a bad move in and of itself, but it becomes available by TM significantly earlier than that, and the TM is not even particularly contended, since very few Pokémon can make use of it at all. Porygon's TM pool is significantly better than that of most Pokémon in the first generation. It can put its Special Attack to good use with Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, or their stronger alternatives Blizzard and Thunder; it should be noted that the accuracy of Blizzard is a decent 90% in these games. Porygon also learns Psychic, very useful for neutral coverage, though the Electric + Ice combination alone more than covers its needs. On the other hand, its physical coverage is lacking; Tri Attack is the best Normal move it can learn, and it gets access to no other coverage. Double-Edge is an option, but a risky one due to Porygon's low base HP; Hyper Beam is good to finish off enemies, but will leave Porygon open for attacks if it fails to KO, needing a recharge turn. On the defensive side, notable options include Reflect and Thunder Wave. Recommended moveset: Agility, Ice Beam / Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Reflect / Psychic / Tri Attack Recommended Teammates * Psychic- or Ghost-types: Porygon has one fairly uncommon weakness, but it is crippling. Fighting-types must have a designated counter, preferably a Psychic, though Gengar is equally valid. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Alakazam, Slowbro, Gengar, Hypno, Exeggutor, Starmie, Mr. Mime, Jynx * Physical tanks: Porygon's physical bulk is fairly bad unless Reflect is used, and Reflect takes a turn to use, which is non-negligible considering Porygon's abysmal Speed. There should be a good physical wall on the team, preferably a Reflect user. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Sandslash, Slowbro, Exeggutor, Weezing, Dragonite * Fast hitters: Even Porygon's Speed is anything but top notch. Slow as it is, it is best to have a glass cannon or fast sweeper to deal with threats that need to be knocked out quickly, since Porygon will not be able to do so. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Alakazam, Rapidash, Starmie, Electabuzz, Jolteon Other Porygon's stats * How good is Porygon in a Nuzlocke? For a Pokémon with such low base stats, it performs well enough, thanks to its coverage. Porygon is by no means the best Normal-type, and using it properly requires teaching it at least two TMs that are highly contended and non-reobtainable, but if one is crazy enough about novelty, the investment will not disappoint. * Weaknesses: Fighting * Resistances: None * Immunities: Ghost * Neutralities: Normal, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Ice, Dragon Category:Red/Blue/Yellow Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses